Clay pot from Southern India played
with the hands, the top one is made in the USA by
Wright
Hand Drum Co.

The second photo down is a traditional
ghatam in B made in Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
often referred to as Madras ghatam). The
black spot on the edge is a burn mark from the firing
process and is common on many ghatams. It
does not effect the sound or structure of the instrument
at all and is purely cosmetic.

The third photo down is a ghatam
from Mysore (Karnataka) in D#. Typical of ghatams
from Mysore is more of a teardrop shape. These instruments
are much heavier than the Madras ghatam but
lighter than the Manamadurai ghatam.

The fourth photo down is a ghatam
from Manamadurai (Tamil Nadu) in F. Instruments made
here feature the flatter neck just like ghatams
from Madras but there are significant differences
between the two. Manamadurai ghatams are
much heavier and the clay mixture involves adding
several types of metals and egg white and these instruments
are carefully constructed to help the tuning outcome
after the firing process. These instruments are harder
to play but the tone of the shell of the instrument
is quite sharp.

The fifth photo down is a ghatam
from Bangalore (Karnataka) in F, which features a
rounder shape. This instrument is very light, easy
to play, and has a great sound in the bass tone as
well as the shell tones.

The sixth photo down is an instrument
from North India found in Rajasthan and Gujarat. This
particular one came from Jaipur in Rajasthan where
it is known by two names and serves for a domestic
non-musical purpose as well as sometimes being used
as a musical instrument. This clay pot is known as
matka, features an almost perfectly round
shape (tuned to C#), and is made in many villages
in and around Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Gujarat. The
matka is used to store water and sometimes
yogurt (curd), and can also be used as a cooking vessel.
When used as a musical instrument in folk music, it
is known as ghara and is played in a similar
manner as the South Indian ghatam but the
technique and rhythmic style is not as refined as
that of Carnatic ghatam. Another difference
is that the ghara is often traditionally
played with metal rings on the thumbs, index, middle,
and ring fingers of both hands (but players vary on
how many rings and fingers are used). There are a
few versions of this instrument. Some are made from
a black clay that typically comes from a single area
in Rajasthan while many others in Rajasthan and Gujarat
are made from a reddish clay. A third version of the
ghara is made from reddish clay but features
a much flatter, squat shape. Both of the red clay
types can also be found highly decorated with colorfully
painted designs (pictured below) while the black ones
are usually plain and unfinished. The black gharas
(or matkas) are extremely light but very
dense and have a huge sound. The shell tones ring
in a bell-like fashion with much more of a sustain
than the various South Indian ghatams (although
the Mysore ghatam comes close). The bass
tones of this instrument are also very prominent.
Since these instruments are fired at a much higher
temperature for a longer time than South Indian ghatams,
there is more consistency between instruments in terms
of Western pitch. In other words, there is much less
variation in the tuning when compared with ghatams
from South India, which can range from a low B up
to a high A chromatically. Gharas/Matkas
are usually found with a range from approximately
C or C# to D (or slightly higher) although there does
not seem to be any indication that these instruments
are constructed with tuning considerations. Other
spellings for matka include mutkay
and madga.

The bottom photo is of traditional
musicians in Gujarat in North India in which is pictured
a player with rings performing on one of the more
squat, saucer-shaped red gharas. Such gharas
are also played in Pakistan.